The Lightning Rod

So many times,
I draw the attention,
the ire,
the condemnation
of people whose opinions
differ from mine.
They see me
as an exemplar
of a lifestyle
they do not agree with
that represents something
they consider a threat
to their own beliefs.
All because
I have the conviction
to stand up
and say, "This is me.
This is who I am."
No apologies,
no evasions,
for once not hiding
from a world
that doesn't understand.
And I am grieved,
because even though
the Supreme Court
rules same-sex marriage legal,
anything not "normal"
is still viewed as an aberration,
an abomination,
when all it is,
is a different description
of what love can be.
So I become
a lightning rod,
drawing the bolts
of discrimination,
hoping they will not
be aimed at those others
who share some or all
of my beliefs,
praying for a day.
when I,
and they,
can live as we choose.

(c) Tortured Cyclone 2015